Ancient Pergamon帕加马古城

Perched atop a windswept mountain along the Turkish coastline and gazing proudly—almost defiantly—over the azure Aegean Sea sit the ruins of ancient Pergamon. Although the majority of its superb intact monuments now sit in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum， enough remains of the acropolis for the visitor to sense the former greatness of the city that once rivaled Alexandria1， Ephesus2 and Antioch in culture and commerce， and whose scientific advancements in the field of medicine resonate through the corridors of today’s medical treatment facilities. Juxtaposed sharply against this image of enlightened learning is that of “Satan’s Throne”， as described by the prophet John of Patmos， which some scholars interpret as referring to the Great Altar of Pergamon， one of the most magnificent surviving structures from the Greco-Roman world.

帕加马古城的遗迹耸峙在土耳其海岸边一座迎风山的山顶上，骄傲地——几乎是不可一世地——凝视着蔚蓝的爱琴海。虽然遗迹中大部分精美且完好的文物现在存放于柏林的帕加马博物馆，但留在原地的卫城遗迹也足以让游客感受到这座古城当初的辉煌——它曾经可在文化和商业上与亚历山大里亚城、以佛所城和安提俄克城相匹敌，在医学领域里的科学成就响彻今天医疗机构的走廊。与这种开明形象形成鲜明对比的，是拔摩岛上的先知约翰所描述的“撒旦宝座”。有些学者把这个“宝座”解读为帕加马大祭坛，它是希腊罗马世界幸存至今的最雄伟的建筑之一。

The modern visitor approaches the site from the steep and winding road that leads from the modern Turkish city of Bergama just a few miles away. Upon reaching the ruins， the commanding panoramic view from Pergamon’s 1，000-foot-high perch makes it easy to understand how this city once domin-ated the entire region. It was a proud city in its time， and it had reason to be so. Its monuments and buildings were constructed of high-quality white marble in the finest Hellenistic style， and its library rivaled the famed library of Alexandria in Egypt. In the mid-second century A.D.， it became known throughout the Mediterranean world as a center of ancient medicine， largely due to the presence of the eminent Roman phys-ician Galen （c. 129–200 A.D.）， who was born in ancient Pergamon.

如今，游客从今天的土耳其城市贝尔加马出发，沿陡峭且曲折的路走上几英里就能到达帕加马古城。到达之后，从1000英尺高的地方居高临下地俯瞰全景，就不难理解这座城市何以曾经统治整个地区。它在当时是一座骄傲的城市，而且理应如此。城中的塑像和建筑用优质的白色大理石建成，展现出最精美的希腊化时代风格；图书馆堪比埃及闻名遐迩的亚历山大里亚古城图书馆。公元2世纪中叶，帕加马古城在整个地中海地区以古代医学中心著称，主要是因为罗马名医盖伦（约129—约200），他就出生在这座古城。

Pergamon rose to prominence during the years of the empire’s division following the death of Alexander the Great3 in 323 B.C. His short-lived empire was partitioned among his generals， with General Lysimachus inheriting the then-settlement of Pergamon and its wealth. Due largely to its strategic pos-ition along land and sea trading routes and in part to the wealth of the Attalid4 kings who ruled the kingdom， the city enjoyed centuries of prosperity that continued when it passed peacefully to Rome’s control in 133 B.C. From that point on， Pergamon’s fate was inextric-ably linked to that of Rome， and it rose and fell in tandem with the great Roman Empire.

公元前323年，亚历山大大帝去世后，帝国分崩离析，帕加马随之崛起。亚历山大大帝的短命帝国被他手下的将军们瓜分，其中利西马科斯将军接手了当时的帕加马城及城中财富。这座城市繁荣了几个世纪，主要是因为它在海陆商路上处于战略位置，还有部分原因在于执政的阿塔利德王朝国王们拥有大量财富。公元前133年，帕加马被和平移交给罗马控制，此后依然繁荣。从那时起，帕加马城的命运与罗马的命运错综复杂地交织在一起，与伟大的罗马帝国共兴亡。

The oldest and arguably most beautiful section of Pergamon is also its highest. The acropolis of Pergamon rises triumphantly over the ruins of the city that cascades down the steep slopes to the valley below. One of the most dramatic structures of the acropolis was what scholars believe to be the Temple of Zeus， the massive foundations of which are all that remain on the southern slope of the site. The altar believed to be associated with the temple， known today as the Great Altar of Pergamon， was moved to Berlin in the 19th century by German archaeologists， who evidently had an easy time getting permission for its removal from the indifferent authorities of the Ottoman empire.

帕加马城最古老、可谓最美丽的部分也是其最高的部分。城市遗迹沿着陡坡瀑布似地一直散落到下面的谷地，帕加马卫城就傲然耸立于废墟之上。卫城中最引人注目的建筑之一是学者们认定的宙斯神庙，古城遗址的南坡上如今只剩下其厚实的地基。据信与宙斯神庙有联系的祭坛（今日称“帕加马大祭坛”）在19世纪被德国考古学家迁至柏林，而且他们显然轻而易举就从漠不关心的奥斯曼帝国当局那里获得了迁移许可。

Walking north from the Temple of Zeus and the site of the Great Altar of Pergamon， one encounters the remains of the Temple of Athena， constructed at the end of the fourth century or beginning of the third century B.C.， and dedicated to the city’s patron goddess. Just beyond that to the northwest is the magnificent structure that was the city’s famous library. While the estimated 200，000 documents of both papyrus and parchment may be rather high （Seneca estimates that approximately 40，000 volumes were catalogued in the larger library of Alexandria）， it was certainly one of the largest collections of written material in the ancient world and was famous throughout the Mediterranean. It also housed one of the most extravagant wedding gifts of all time： Mark Antony5 is said to have presented Cleopatra with a sizable portion of the Pergamon library’s collection， in part to restore Alexandria’s own collection that went up in flames during Julius Caesar’s occupation of the city.

从宙斯神庙和帕加马大祭坛旧址向北步行，便会看到雅典娜神庙的遗迹。这座神庙供奉的是帕加马城的守护女神，修建于公元前4世纪末或3世纪初。离神庙不远的西北方有一座雄伟的建筑，那是这座城市著名的图书馆。据估计，馆内有20万份纸莎草纸和羊皮纸文献，虽然这个数字可能过高（塞内加估计，规模更大的亚历山大里亚城图书馆有大约4万卷在编图书），但帕加马图书馆肯定是古代馆藏文献资料最多的图书馆之一，而且驰名整个地中海地区。馆内还曾经藏有史上最奢华的结婚礼物之一：据说，马克·安东尼曾将相当多的帕加马图书馆馆藏送给克莱奥帕特拉，部分原因是为了重建亚历山大里亚城图书馆的馆藏——尤利乌斯·恺撒占领亚历山大里亚城时将图书馆付之一炬。

The best-preserved ancient sac-red structure on ancient Pergamon’s acropolis is the Temple of Trajan， built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian6 （117–138 A.D.） and dedicated to his deified predecessor. Towering imposingly over the surrounding structures and ruins， its commanding presence is a testament to the strength of the imperial cult. It is hard to imagine， gazing up at its enormous height， that this was actually one of the smaller sacred structures in the temple precinct of the acropolis. The sheer size and majesty of the building against the dramatic backdrop of the valley below and the ocean and sky beyond is truly awe-inspiring.

帕加马古城的卫城中，保存得最好的古代宗教建筑是图拉真神庙，修建于哈德良皇帝统治时期（117—138），以供奉他尊为神明的前任皇帝。图拉真神庙巍然屹立在周围建筑和遗迹之上，其威严气场证明了帝王崇拜的力量。仰望高耸入云的神庙，很难想象它其实是卫城神庙区域里比较小的宗教建筑之一。在下面的谷地以及远处的海洋和天空的映衬下，这座建筑的宏大和壮丽的确使人心生敬畏。

Every ancient Greek city worth its name boasted a theater. A place for both entertainment and civic gatherings， the theater was a focal point of public life in the Greco-Roman world. The architecture of the nearly intact theater of Pergamon not only attests to the city’s importance but also provides what is surely one of the most spectacular—and dizzying—settings of the ancient world. Cascading sharply down the precipitous slope of the acropolis toward the sea， the theater is one of the steepest of its kind. The 10，000 visitors would have had to carefully navigate the 80 rows of horizontal seating， lest they take a fatal tumble to the stage more than 120 vertical feet below. Like many ancient Greek theaters， the theater at Pergamon is an acoustic marvel： An actor （or tourist） speaking normally on the stage can be heard even at the top of the cavea （seating structure）.

每个名副其实的古希腊城市都有一座剧场。在希腊罗马世界，剧场既是娱乐场所又是公众聚会的地方，所以是公共生活的焦点。近乎完好无损的帕加马剧场不仅证明了帕加马城的重要性，而且无疑搭建出了古代最壮观、最让人眼花缭乱的场景之一。剧场沿卫城的陡峭山坡瀑布似地向大海的方向铺开，是同类建筑中落差最大的之一。1万名观众必须在80排水平的座位间小心翼翼地穿行，免得跌落到垂直距离120多英尺下的舞台上丧命。像很多古希腊剧场一样，帕加马剧场也是一个声学奇迹：演员（或游客）在舞台上正常说话，即便在阶梯座位的最高处都可以听到。

During the second century A.D.， Perg-amon’s fame as a center of healing and medical science eclipsed its reputation for anything else. Its most celebrated citi-zen during this period was the physician Galen， whose work and research were largely responsible for providing the foundation from which modern Western medicine was to spring. The asclepion at ancient Pergamon was one of the most famous in the ancient world， and this ancient version of a medical spa attracted pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean region who came seeking the restorative powers of its thermal waters and medical treatments for various ailments and in-juries.

公元2世纪，帕加马作为疗养医学中心的声誉盖过了它在其他领域的名望。在这一时期，帕加马最著名的公民是医生盖伦，他的工作和研究在很大程度上为现代西医的产生奠定了基础。帕加马古城的医神庙是古代最著名的一所，庙中提供的古代版水疗吸引了地中海地区各地的朝圣者前来用温泉水恢复健康，医治各种疾病和创伤。

Given the fact that the city represented the epitome of Hellenistic culture， traditions and religion in both its pursuits and its very architecture， it is perhaps not surprising that early Christians viewed it as a bastion of all that was anathematic to Christian beliefs. In the Book of Reve-lation， John conveys a message from the risen Christ to seven Christian congregations in Asia Minor， all of which are located in modern Turkey. Perga-mon’s congregation was one of these， and Christ’s message to the faithful praises them for adhering to their faith while living in the place “where Satan dwells.” Antipas， a Christian bishop of Pergamon， was believed to have been martyred here at the end of the first century A.D.， around the time when many scholars believe the Book of Revelation was composed. The execution of their bishop certainly would not have endeared the city to its Christian inhabitants， and the Biblical reference to the city is reflective of the general tension between Christian and pagan communities at the end of the first century A.D.

鉴于帕加马城在自身追求及城中建筑两方面都是希腊化时代文化、传统和宗教的缩影，早期基督徒将其视为所有厌恶基督教信仰的人与物的堡垒或许也就不足为奇。《启示录》中写道，约翰将复活的耶稣的信息传给了小亚细亚的7个基督教会，这7个教会均位于今日的土耳其。帕加马教会就是其中之一，在传递给忠实信徒的信息中，耶稣赞美他们生活在“撒旦居住的地方”仍能坚持信仰。据信，公元1世纪末，帕加马的基督教主教安提帕在城中殉道，很多学者认为《启示录》大约成书于此时。主教遭到处决肯定不会使帕加马城的基督徒居民喜爱这座城市，而《圣经》提到帕加马城时也说公元1世纪末，基督徒与异教徒两个群体之间关系普遍紧张。

As part of the Roman Empire， Perg-amon’s decline mirrored that of the empire as a whole. Like the rest of the region， it eventually came under Byzantine and then Ottoman rule. By the late 19th century， excavations had begun at the ancient site， and today it draws people from all over the world. Climbing up to the peak of the acropolis， the modern visitor can easily sense the echo of Pergamon’s glorious past， which can still be heard among the beauty of its marble ruins today.

帕加马城作为罗马帝国的一部分，其衰落反映了整个帝国的衰落。就像其所在地区的其他城市一样，帕加马城最终先受拜占庭帝国统治，后来受奥斯曼帝国统治。对这座古城遗址的发掘始于19世纪末，如今古城吸引着世界各地的人。登上卫城的最高处，今天的游客很容易与帕加马的辉煌过去产生共鸣，那回声至今仍能在壮美的大理石遗迹中听到。

1亚历山大里亚古城始建于公元前332年马其顿国王亚历山大大帝征服埃及之时，7世纪后逐渐衰落。这座古城有“黄金之城”的美誉，是当时地中海地区重要的政治、经济和文化中心。" 2作为曾经的文化、政治与商业中心，以佛所古城对西方哲学和医学产生了巨大的影响。2015年，联合国教科文组织世界遗产委员会将以佛所遗址列入《世界遗产名录》。

3亚历山大大帝（公元前356—前323），古代马其顿国王，军事统帅。亚历山大大帝死后，其所建帝国解体，形成了以托勒密王国、塞琉西王国和马其顿王国为主体的一批希腊化国家。

4由阿塔罗斯一世（Attalus I，公元前241—前197在位）建立的王朝。在其统治下，帕加马成为希腊化时代（公元前323—前30）最重要和最美丽的城市之一。

5马克·安东尼（公元前83—前30），曾是恺撒麾下的将军，后成为罗马“后三头政治”同盟中的一员，并与埃及女王克莱奥帕特拉七世陷入爱河，结成政治联盟。" 6哈德良是罗马帝国皇帝图拉真的表侄，后收为养子。117年，图拉真在率兵返回途中病死，军队拥立当时已成为图拉真养子的哈德良为皇帝。